Other inventors have tried to solve these problems without complete success, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,311 to Gallagher, which is directed to an absorbent pad having an air bubble layer in which are provided a plurality of liquid permeable perforations to provide a passageway for fluids therethrough to a lower highly absorbent layer. The absorbent pad comprises a pneumatic cellular cushion top layer, a liquid absorbent layer and a bottom liquid impervious layer. The uppermost layer comprises a pneumatic cellular cushion layer and the bottom layer comprises a liquid impervious plastic sheet with a highly absorbent layer in between the cushion layer and the impervious plastic layer. This top-most layer comprises a pair of plastic sheets assembled to provide a plurality of air or other fluid filled cells which cells are spaced from each other by partition zones formed by sealing opposed surfaces of the sheets together. Between the cells and in the partition walls are a plurality of perforations large enough to permit generally unrestricted liquid flow from the cushion layer to the absorbent layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,015 to Mayer is directed to a multilayer absorbent structure having two absorbent layers separated by a grid material and covered on one side by an exterior layer which contacts a wound surface and on the other side by a moisture resistant barrier. The outer wound contacting layer adjacent the absorbent layer may be unwoven. The next grid layer is non-absorbent but has openings through the grid through which fluids to be absorbed passes. The next layer is absorbent material while the exterior layer is a fluid barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,180 to Karami discloses an absorbent pad having a perforated impervious sheet for conducting liquid into spaced pockets containing absorbent material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,001 to Ryan discloses an absorbent pad having a plurality of interspersed air blisters which minimize the compression of the pad by the weight of the user so that it can absorb more liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,491 to Whyte has a plurality of spaced inflatable areas which are activated by moisture for expanding the pad so that it will absorb more material and for supporting the body of the user so that it does not become compressed, thereby absorbing more liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,679 to Taylor discloses a diaper having a plurality of openings for conducting the fluid to the outer portion of the absorbent material to increase utilization of the absorbent material for rapid dispersion of the liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,941 to Duane, et al. discloses an absorbent pad having a fluid impervious outer layer which has uniform slots spaced thereacross through which the fluid will flow toward an absorbent pad therebelow, but is restrained from back flow through the slots.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,194 to Duncan discloses in the embodiment of FIG. 8 an absorbent material which is attached to an impervious bottom layer and has an open weave hydrophobic material over the top thereof. Within the absorbent material and spaced from the upper surface thereof is a moisture impervious barrier sheet spaced below the hydrophobic sheet. This diaper improves dryness of the diaper against the baby's skin to some extent, but since the material above the barrier is also liquid absorbent, it will always tend to remain damp and will not effectively wick the liquid away from the barrier so that the hydrophobic material becomes dry.
Although each of the above prior art devices is suitable for its intended purpose, none of them provide a structure wherein liquid is temporarily stored on top of a non-permeable barrier or sheet while the wicking material pulls the moisture around the barrier and stores it in a reservoir on the other side of the barrier allowing the wicking material and exposed barrier surface to dry.